Elizabeth Banks and Ben Falcone WTEWYE Interview (Video)

Elizabeth Banks and Ben Falcone on New Parent Freakouts, the Extra Who Went Into Labor on Set

Elizabeth Banks and Ben Falcone brought plenty of real-life experience to their roles as new parents in What to Expect When You're Expecting. We caught up with the duo at a recent press day for the movie and talked about their own parental anxieties, Elizabeth's tendency toward tears, and one pregnant extra who actually went into labor in the middle of a scene! We also asked Elizabeth about Catching Fire, and she revealed the one thing she's most looking forward to about working with new director Francis Lawrence. What to Expect When You're Expecting hits theaters May 18.

I wasn't pregnant. So can you imagine if I was like the hardest part. I mean, punched my face in. I just remember reading this script and being like, OK, it's cute, blah blah blah, Oh my God I really get the baby, it's so cute! So you two are both parents, was there something in this script that especially rang true for you when read it the first time?
Yes, at the end everyone got a baby and it was It was really. It was very manipulative actually in that way. Yes, very much. I just remember reading the script and being like OK Cute but uh, oh, my God, look, it's a baby! It's so cute! She doesn't seem like it, but all of a sudden she's just a, she gets real cry-y.
I really. You were crying. Your character has this crazy meltdown in film, when you had your infant, were you, did you ever have your moments where you had Melt down like that or Ben can you relate to that? I wasn't pregnant so, can you imagine if I was like The hardest part! I mean, Melissa, my wife, would have like punched my face.
So you're gonna plead the fifth. No, well I never had a meltdowns when you know the first time and there's diapers and it's the middle of the night, but it was more like when the baby was here. Like, during the infant stage. I had a couple of meltdowns before the baby. Just like anxiety induced. Yeah.
Like, I remember going to eat on the Thursday before Felix was born and thinking this is the last Thursday that I'll have before I'm a parent like every day it became. But you did not do that on a Wednesday or Friday? And every Thursday I will always be a mom to someone. And that like freaked me out I should have done that.
It really freaked me out actually, I am never going to have a regular Thursday ever again.
And now you don't.
I actually heard an extra went in to labor when you guys were shooting that scene.
That's true. She did.
What was that like?
It was pretty wild. Heidi, the writer of the book.
Heidi Murkoff.
Came up to me, and she's like and she, as you would expect, knew exactly what was happening and what to do.
Yeah, sure.
And she called the EMTs over. so it was so wild you know.
There was a nurse there that was talking through it and taking her pulse and stuff.
And she was doing alot of the scene standing there watching, which was great. So I was giving her updates.
Well it was more like, because she couldn't reach her husband or something?
Something like that, yeah. It was a lot of phone calls.
So, like she didn't want to go to the hospital until she knew her husband could meet herthe hospital.
Right. But then, I think Heidi was like look I wrote these books and you have to go to the hospital and everyone kind of listened to her.
And I was like, you need to go to the hospital.
Yeah, good thing you had the expert on hand. Elizabeth, I wanted to ask you, you know Catching Fire, people are really excited for. What are you looking forward to most about working with Fancis this time around?
Well I mean. His movies are so beautifully shot, so I'm hoping to look good in the film. I'm just interested to see, you know, what kind of spin and take he puts on it, you know, it would be. I have no idea what to expect.